Engine-starting apparatus



L. WOLFFSOHN (NOW BY jUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME L. M. WOOLSON).

meme smnms APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29| 916. 1,330,566.Patented Feb. 10,1920.

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mom WOLITSOHN, (now BY JUDICIAL omen or NAME mm. M. woonsom) orvHOBOKEK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMEfNTS, TO BIJUR MOTORAPPLIANCE COKBANY, A GOBPORA'IION OF DELAWARE.

ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1920.

Application fled February 29, 1918. Serial No. 81,083.

' of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, haveinvented an Improvement in Engine-Starting Apparatus,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engine starters and more particularly to motordriven apparatus for starting internal combustion engines. One of theobjects thereof is to provide simple and practical apparatus forstarting engines especially ada ted for use with engines of the internalcom ustion type. Another object is to provide apparatus of the abovetype of compact andinexpensive construction and eflicient action.Another object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in w ich therequisite movement of parts for, bringing the source of starting powerinto mechanical connection with the engine is reduced-to a minimum.Other objects will be in part obvious. and in part pointed outhereinafter. i

Theinvention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the structure hereinafter described and the scope of theap li-' cation of which will be indicated in the ollowing claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of one ofvarious possible embodiments.

Refcrr' now to this drawing in detail, there is in icated at 1 aninternal combustion engine on the crank shaft 2 of which is mounted afly wheel 3. This fly wheel has formed or. secured about itssurface apair of gear portions 4 and 5 relatively spaced one from another.

Mounted with its shaft 6 substantially parallel to the crank shaft 2 'isan electric motor 7 provided with an outer casing 8, a stator in theform of field magnets 9, a rotor preferably in the form' of an armature10 and other usual parts required to make up an operative source ofpower. The armature shaft 6 is mounted in suitably lubricated bearings11 and '12 for both rotary and sliding movement. This shaft, togetherwith the armature 10, commutator 13 and other parts connected therewith,normally occupies the position indicated in dotted lines at the extremeof its movement toward the left, and is yieldingly held in such positionby a spiral spring 14. This spring is com- I pressed between a collar 15on the armature and an annular cup 16 mounted freely on the motor headbymeans' of aball bearing 17.

. The commutator 13 is of such length as to permit a considerable rangeof sliding movement without going out of operative relation to thebrushes 18.

At the left-hand end of the dynamo casin is mounted a switch casinfilmprovided wit switch mechanism 20. is switch is controlled by themovement vof a member 21 on the endof shaft 6 as the armature shaftslides as hereinafter described. Although the details of this mechanismare not shown as it forms in itself no'part of the present invention,it-ma be noted that the switch is so formed an connected that thesliding movement of the armature shaft acts automatically to increasethe efi'ective current supplied to the motor.

At the opposite end ofth'e shaft 6 there is keyed thereon and held inposition by" the nut 22 a gear 23. This gear is provided with a pair oftoothed portions 24 and-25 mating 1n width, pitch and alinement with theteeth of the ar ortions 4 and 5 on the fly wheel. orma ly the severalgear portions are relativel offset and out of mesh as indicated by t edotted lines showing the position occupied by the gears .24 and 25. W1ththe arts in this position andunderstanding t at the gears or gearportions 4 and 5, as'well as the gears pr gear portions 24 and 25, areseparated in each case by an intermediate groove, the gear 4 right intothe position indicated in full lines in the drawing. This. slidingmovement throws the gear portions 24 and 25' respectively into mesh withthe gear portions 4 and 5 and this effects apower-transmittingconnection between the motor and the engine 1. In this manner there areformed two (all power-transmitting devices the motornnd engine, namelythat formed by gears and'Q/r and that formed by gears 5 and 25. Therotary movement of the motor the engine and the motor in the aboveaction,

there is required a relatively short movement of translation of thearmature shaft and connected parts. If for example, it is desired thatthe gearing in mesh be one inch in width, with ordinary gears a movementof one inch plus a suitable slight clearance would be required. lln thepresent case, however, for the same strength of connection, the two gearportions may each be one-half inch in width and a total movement of onlya little more than one-half inch is required. This saving in movementnot only reduces wear and attains other advantages in action,

, but is of extreme importance in crowded re-.

lations such as those in which ap aratus of this nature is mounted inautomo iles, The total or overall length of the starting motor with itsattached parts is increased with a sliding armature construction by anamount which is double the range of travel of the sliding movement. Inthe first place, the commutator, to accommodate the brushes, must beelongated by an amount. equal to the sliding movement and furthermorathemotor must be elongated by an amount equal to the sliding movement toaccommodate the travel of the commutator and other parts. If then therange of travel is cut down from say one and one-half inches to threequarters of an inch, the saving in total length is not merely threequarters of an inch, but is this amount doubled, or one and one-halfinches.

It will thus be clear that there is provided apparatus which not only ishighly efiicient in action and of inexpensive construction, but in whichvery material compactness is attained without sacrifice of thesequalities.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention andas various changes mi ht be made in the embodiment above set orth, it isto be understood that .all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawin is to be interpreted as illustrative an not in alimiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the class described, in

combination, an internal combustion engine,

an electric motor, said motor comprising an armature yieldingly held inoffset relation essence portion of each oi which is connected with saidengine, said first portions being mounted to simultaneously enter intooperative relation with the engine portions of said devices as the fieldmagnets of said motor tend to draw the armature thereoi toward registening position.

2, ho. apparatus of the class. described, in combination, an internalcombustion engine provided with a iiy wheel, a pair of gears about saidfly wheel laterally offset from one another, a pair of gears laterallyon set one from another and normally laterally offset from the gears ofsaid fiy wheel, and means adapted to move the gears of said second airin anaxial direction substantially simultaneously into mesh with thegears of said first pair, and to then transmit cranking torque throughsaid gears to said engine.

3. In apparatus of the class described, in

combination, an internal combustion engine as the field magnets or" saidmotor are energized to draw its armature toward registering position. v

4. Apparatus oi the class described, comprising m combination, aninternal combustion engine, having a driven member connected therewith,a motor having rotor and stator elements, a driving member connected toone of said elements, normally out of engagement with said driven memberand mounted for displacement with respect to one of said motor elementscharacterized by the fact that said driving and driven elements areconstructed and arranged so that said motion of displacement causespositive driving engagement between said members along a width greaterthan the amount of said displacement. s

5. Apparatus oi the class described, comprising 1n combination, aninternal combustion engine, an electric motor, said motor comprismg anarmature yieldingly held in ofi'sct relation to the field magnets ofsaid m0tor,-a ower transmittin connection between said machines incluing gear teeth said armature in being drawn into registry with saidfield magnets along a length greater than and in the direction of saiddisplacement.

6; Apparatus of-the class described, comprising in combination, aninternal combustion engine, an electric motor, said motor comprising anarmature yieldingly held in offset relation to the field magnets of saidmotor, a driven memberconnected to said engine, a driving memberconnected to said armature, and normally out of engagement with a withsaid driven member, said driving andsaid driven member being eachprovided lurality of en aging surfaces of substantlally uniform wldthadapted to be substantially simultaneously engaged, to divide thecranking torque substantially equally between the plurality ofcooperating pairs of surfaces. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this24th day of February, 1916, o

LIONEL WOLFFSOHN.

